1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the game of golf and to an accessory device to assist in playing the game. The device of this invention combines functions of divot replacement, a ball marker, and provides a support for a club when not in use or a general supporting accessory, in a single device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the game of golf, the condition of the green is of utmost importance to both the occasional and serious golfer. The greens need to be free from irregularities that can occur when the ball strikes the green, a putter strikes a green, or marks are made by the cleats used on the soles of golf shoes. These irregularities are known as divots, and are often repaired with a pronged device carried in the golfer's pocket or golf bag.
The obvious drawbacks to carrying these devices in either a pocket or golf bag is that the device can either tear clothing, when carried in a pocket, or become inconvenient to locate when carried in the depths of a golf bag.
In addition, golfers find it necessary to carry a ball marker, with which to mark the position of the ball on the green, in order to remove that ball from the path of other golfers attempting to putt on the same green. Golfer's often use a dime or penny for this purpose. This can become inconvenient if the golfer neglects to have change in his or her pocket, and the alternative of leaving one's ball in the path of another person's putt is unacceptable golf etiquette.
A wide variety of accessory devices are known in the prior art. A number of such devices such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,239,216; 5,511,785; 4,925,190, and 4,799,684 are stored within the handle of the golf club. In these devices, the handle is hollow and a cap is threadably received in the open end of the handle. The device is incorporated in the handle so that in order to use the device the cap must be removed and the device removed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,794 a device is similarly threadably received on the end of the handle, but it is not retained within the handle proper when not in use.
The above described devices then all require a special purpose golf club and a standard golf club cannot be used without structural changes.
Similarly in U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,609 a divot replacement device is mounted on the grip of a golf club and a spring detent is used to extend or retract the divot replacement device itself. Therefore, this device must be either manufactured with the golf club, or the conventional golf club must be structurally adapted to mount the device. In either event, it is likely to be in the way when the club is used for golfing.
While the prior art may function as desired, the fact that they all require special purpose golf clubs, or structural modifications of existing golf clubs minimizes their acceptability to the average golfer.
It is also known in the prior art to have separate divot replacement devices which are multi-functional and which are not attached to the golf club. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,529,299; 5,226,647 and 4,627,621 representative devices are described. In each of these devices it is intended that the implement either be stored in the golfer's pocket, or in the golf bag. In either event, it is inconvenient to use.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,483, a divot replacement device is incorporated in the head of the putter. While this device is convenient to access, it also requires a special purpose golf club and requires that the golfer accept a hollow putter head in contrast to the standard putter. In other words, the specially adapted golf club needed to store the device may have weight and impact characteristics different from a standard club.
Finally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,216,831 and 5,437,449 describe devices which are attached to the golf club itself for green repair but these devices are attached to the grip on the club shaft. In these devices, then, unless the accessory is unclipped from the grip, the accessory will be inserted in the golf bag after use when the club is returned to the bag. In this way, the accessory may become unclipped from the grip within the bag requiring the golfer to explore the depths of the bag to retrieve it. While the devices described are clipped rather than permanently attached to golf clubs and therefore are usable with a standard golf club without additional adaptation, the clips described are attachable only to the grip end of the club rather than the shaft itself.